On Friday, an earthquake early warning system worked, officials said, notifying millions of Californians of a 4.7 magnitude earthquake up to 20 seconds before the shaking started.
Officials said that at 7:28 a.m. on Sept. 13, an earthquake centered 4.4 miles north of Malibu was felt across large portions of the Los Angeles area. According to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), which oversees the earthquake warning system, phones in the affected areas received notification of the pending earthquake. More than 425,000 alerts were sent out, Cal OES said, but millions more received wireless emergency alerts thanks to a public-private partnership between the state and Google, which has integrated the alert software, MyShake app, into its Android phone operating system.
Cal OES said it continues to work closely with local officials in the area hit by the quake to evaluate issues or unmet needs. Californians in the quake areas need to stay away from steep slopes to avoid falling or sliding debris in the event of an aftershock, the department said.
“Even as the state contends with wildfires, we must always be ready for other potential disasters,” California Gov. Gavin Newsome said. “Thanks to our Earthquake Early Warning system, millions of people in Southern California received alerts on their mobile phones when shaking began, giving them vital seconds to drop, cover and hold on. I encourage all Californians to download the MyShake app and allow emergency alerts on their cell phones to receive these timely notifications, especially for earthquakes that could do far more damage.”
After the earthquake, the MyShake app was downloaded more than 20,000 times in just three hours, officials said.